“My name is Paul Regis and I consider myself very fortunate to have been Caribbean Heart Care’s very first patient open heart surgery patient. In 1992, I found out that I needed triple bypass open heart surgery, a procedure which at that time was not being performed here in Trinidad.” – Paul Regis,

“I considered the option of going abroad to Venezuela or to Miami for the surgery but learned from my cardiologist that Caribbean Heart Care Medcorp was in discussions with the Government to begin a Heart Surgery programme. Since the programme was due to start within months of my diagnosis, I decided to wait and have my surgery performed locally.

“I do not regret my decision. Prior to my surgery, I met with CHCm’s doctors and found them to be very kind and accommodating. They sat with me and explained the procedure in detail to me; they discussed both the benefits as well as the risks of having the surgery performed; and they even met with my family to listen to their concerns and answer their questions.

“No one pulled any wool over my eyes – my doctors at CHCm made sure I knew what to expect. I appreciated their frankness and felt comfortable with my decision to have my surgery done here in November 1993.

“The surgery itself went well and within six hours, I was able to get up. The ICU nurses were very attentive and hospitable and my doctor made regular visits to check on my progress. Sixteen years later at the age of 82, I’m still here and doing well. I give full credit to the surgeons, doctors and staff of CHCm for giving me the chance to live a long life.”